The Chef Ann Foundation is dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.

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Our Mission
Why School Food Matters
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Employment

We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals. Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant.

Visit Overview
Get Schools Cooking
Salad Bars to Schools
School Food Institute
The Lunch Box

Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.

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Our Impact
Our History
Success Stories
What People Are Saying
FOR SCHOOLS

Whether you are a school district administrator, food service director, food service team member, concerned parent, student or committed community advocate, there are many ways to get involved in changing the way we feed our kids.

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Support Our Work
Donate
Gift Circle
Other Ways to Give
Real School Food Challenge
Our Supporters

Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school.

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Step 1: Get Educated
Step 2: Get Organized
Step 3: Get Support
Step 4: Take Action
Tools for Home

Learn more about school food with resources, home recipes, and press materials.

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About School Food
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WHO WE ARE

The Chef Ann Foundation is dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools. This approach enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.

Visit Overview
Our Mission
Why School Food Matters
Founder Chef Ann
Our Team
Financials & Annual Reports
Employment

WHAT WE DO

We’re dedicated to empowering schools nationwide with the tools, training, resources, and funding they need to serve meals. Browse through programs to learn more about our work and apply for a grant.

Visit Overview
Get Schools Cooking
Salad Bars to Schools
School Food Institute
The Lunch Box

WHAT WE’VE DONE

Since 2009, the Chef Ann Foundation has worked with schools to implement healthy school meal programs. Dive into the organization’s history and learn about our impact on school food reform over the years.

Visit Overview
Our Impact
Our History
Success Stories
What People Are Saying
FOR SCHOOLS

FOR SUPPORTERS

Whether you are a school district administrator, food service director, food service team member, concerned parent, student or committed community advocate, there are many ways to get involved in changing the way we feed our kids.

Visit Overview
Support Our Work
Donate
Gift Circle
Other Ways to Give
Real School Food Challenge
Our Supporters

ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Want to learn how you can create school food change? Our toolkit lays out how to approach your district and advocate for healthier food in your child’s school.

Visit Overview
Step 1: Get Educated
Step 2: Get Organized
Step 3: Get Support
Step 4: Take Action
Tools for Home

KNOWLEDGE CENTER

Learn more about school food with resources, home recipes, and press materials.

Visit Overview
COVID-19 Resources & Support
Resource Library
Home Recipes
About School Food
Press Room
Press Releases
Press Kit & Assets
Spokespersons
Scroll to:
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The Lunch Box

The Lunch Box (TLB) is an online toolkit that provides free step-by-step guides, tools, recipes and other resources to help schools improve their meal programs and convert to scratch-cooking.

See how our signature program ties into our Theory of Change here.

Visit the Website

The Lunch Box

The Lunch Box (TLB) is an online toolkit that provides free step-by-step guides, tools, recipes and other resources to help schools improve their meal programs and convert to scratch-cooking.

See how our signature program ties into our Theory of Change here.

Visit the Website

For many students across the country, school meals can be the most nutritious meal of the entire day, but too often these meals are highly processed. Schools don’t have the operational knowledge or experience required to provide fresh, healthy, and delicious food in a cook from scratch operation.

For many students across the country, school meals can be the most nutritious meal of the entire day, but too often these meals are highly processed. Schools don’t have the operational knowledge or experience required to provide fresh, healthy, and delicious food in a cook from scratch operation.

The Lunch Box is specifically designed to support school district food service teams as they transition their meal programs from processed to scratch cook using fresh ingredients. With open source resources that provide technical support, school districts are able to use The Lunch Box to expand their capacity and ensure that healthy food reaches even more kids each and every day. Users have free access to scalable and downloadable recipes, USDA compliant menu cycles, procurement tools, financial calculators, implementation strategies for salad bars, training tools, marketing materials such as posters and signs, and much more!

TLB offers:

  • Relevant, up-to-date operational content and resources that enable school districts to serve healthy, scratch-cooked meals
  • Information about programs and opportunities that solve common problems experienced by school food service teams
  • Tools for marketing and promoting their lunch program and healthy eating

Our Impact

See CAF's Impact
23,600+

users
105,045

resources downloaded

Our Impact

See CAF's Impact
23,600+

users
105,045

resources downloaded
You have a wealth of valuable information for school districts to use. Thanks for all you do in providing schools with the tools they need to provide nutritious meals to our students.
Terri, Food Service Director at South Hamilton School District

Program Targeted Outcomes

1

Reach more schools with free, relevant, and up-to-date content and resources that enable cooking healthy, scratch cooked meals

2

Educate food service professionals on the programs and opportunities that solve common problems experienced by school food service teams

3

Motivate and support schools with content that covers a wide range of school food operator needs, including financial management

Program Details

The Lunch Box is the largest online resource for scratch cooking in schools. It is designed specifically to support school district food service teams as they transition their food programs from processed foods to scratch cooking with fresh ingredients.

The online toolkit provides technical support to help districts expand their services, ensuring that healthy food reaches more kids every day. Users have free access to:

Learn how we approach change

Program Flyer

Would you like to post information about the The Lunch Box program? Download our program one pager now!

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TLB One-Pager

File Type: PDF

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Get Schools Cooking

Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides schools with the operational knowledge to transition from a heat & serve to scratch cook operational model.

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SALAD BARS TO SCHOOLS

Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) supports schools in expanding their commitment to serving fresh fruits and vegetables by donating salad bars to school districts across the United States.

Learn More

SCHOOL FOOD INSTITUTE

The School Food Institute gives school food service professionals and childhood nutrition advocates the in-depth training, operational skills, and strategic vision necessary to make school food fresh, healthy, and sustainable.

Learn More

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